The Little Prince in the Ossuary

00074 <– #After the Rain–>

#After the rain, Fort Roberts (4)

In most cases, arguments between the two stemmed from their respective sets of values. Jang Yeon-chul was motivated by his idealistic approach to things, while Min Wan-ki made his decisions based on practicality.

“How come? I think their trust in our system is our greatest strength. The Winter Alliance stands on the belief that we don’t ignore the weak and we will always walk the right path. I think it is the reason why an organization this big can operate in this stable state.”

In response to the young executive’s argument, the older scholar’s eyes glimmered behind his rimmed glasses.

“Well… I’ll agree on that. Despite the rapid increase in members, the alliance functions smoothly because everyone believes that it is fair, clean, and just. The weak don’t have to worry about what’s theirs being taken away, and the strong will think twice before taking it. A person is just an animal that changes itself according to its stage and role. Yes, it is an invisible asset of the community. It’s easy to belittle because it’s invisible, but it’s still considered precious.”

“That’s it! I wanted to say that. Do you remember what the little captain said when he first formed the alliance? He denied that he was from another country, hated that he had a different skin color, and said he didn’t want us to ignore his words because they were unfamiliar. And he said that we were people who wanted to live like humans.”

Gyeo-ul felt a little surprised. The boy could remember what he had said. It would be strange not to remember because it had been based on preparation, to some extent.

However, it was surprising that Yeon-chul still remembered it exactly. He was not a genius. He must have written it down somewhere and memorized it on purpose.

Yeon-chul took the hint. Gyeo-ul smiled. The relieved young manager began painting his argument with greater confidence.

“Isn’t this a good opportunity to confirm once again that the promise was true? And wouldn’t people in other countries think of the Winter Alliance again? I realized that it’s not just Koreans. There will be a lot more people supporting us.”

One could even describe it as a promise. Gyeo-ul nodded inwardly. Well, every word a man said should be a promise. What one said lightly could easily hurt others.

Above all, the boy was a representative of the alliance. As a representative, Gyeo-ul commented on Yeon-chul’s opinion.

“Yes, I can relate. People of different nationalities hate each other too easily. They’re all refugees from the same thing, and they’re all humans anyway. You need to remind them of that before the emotional upsets get so deep they can’t be undone. Someone has to do it, but nobody does.”

Yeon-chul’s face now held a tender expression.

Min Wan-ki interjected, “But we should always keep in mind the realistic limitations. The world we live in is very tough. Sometimes, you have to walk a path you don’t like.”

At this, Yeon-chul looked visibly disappointed. Gyeo-ul couldn’t help but look away.

“Min is still against it. Let’s hear the reason.”

Gyeo-ul was busy anticipating the issues Min Wan-ki would raise. He expected at least three concerns. However, it was not appropriate to make him state them earlier than he wanted to. It was important to give him a chance to speak uninterrupted, just as they had allowed Jang Yeon-chul.

Min Wan-ki then asked, “There are a few things. Do you mind?”

It was as Gyeo-ul expected. He nodded in reply. “Sure. Go ahead.”

“First, if we accept them, what happens to the Triad?”

The short groan belonged to Jang Yeon-chul. Min Wan-ki continued to speak calmly without expression.

“Don’t you think it will be a damn crisis if they lose more power there? It will be when they’re barely keeping pride through cooperation with us. It doesn’t matter if they’re dead or not, but I’m afraid you or Jang will feel uncomfortable.”

Jang Yeon-chul argued against this. “We’d be protecting them, but would other organizations covet them?”

“I told you. The organization is barely keeping its pride. If a gangster boss loses his pride, there’s nothing more to see. That’s what the person who wrote the letter said. There’s a lot of cliques in their organization, and we don’t want to have Li Chinzen as our leader. Until now, the Triad has maintained itself as the strongest force, but it doesn’t feel that way anymore. They’ll beat themselves to death.”

“…”

“Can our alliance, and the little captain, stop them there? Will they even accept help? I’d be glad if they didn’t accuse us of betrayal.”

It was a heartbreaking “Insight” for Jang Yeon-chul. The history of the Triad was full of internal conflict and protest. As the unknown person had testified in the letter, the factions were not strong enough to claim different organizational names.

The senior manager then asked for testimonies from witnesses.

“How do you feel about the captain you’ve talked to personally?”

“He’s like Mr. Min.”

“I thought so.”

Min Wan-ki smiled faintly and moved on.

“Well, that’s the second time. If we provide the direct basis for the Triad’s fall in that way, will it only be the Triad that accuses us of being traitors? How would other Chinese organizations think of us?”

“They’d think we were backstabbers.”

“You’re straightforward. Anyway, I think the Winter Alliance will find it difficult to influence the Chinese people, and it will be more difficult to help those in need.”

That was reasonable. Gyeo-ul had also expected the Triad to have a window of influence on Chinese settlements. If he accepted the request of the unknown person, all they would get is a small number of Chinese. Conversely, if he chose to maintain the current status, they could reach even more Chinese.

However, Gyeo-ul’s theory was that people could not be compared with numbers.

“I had a fight with Jin-seok about it in Paso Robles.”

Min Wan-ki’s continuous words were well within expectations. He knew the direction Gyeo-ul was heading.

“Of course, I know. The presence of more people who might be able to save the settlement in the future cannot be more valuable than the few that can be saved right now. People are not things. It’s hard to conclude which one is more precious. And we have to consider other variables here.”

“Variables meaning the circumstances of our alliance?”

The sighing remark belonged to Jang Yeon-chul. Min Wan-ki confirmed it.

“Yes. I’d like to describe it as the interests of the alliance, but let’s move on from thinking it’s the difference between Jang and me.”

“…”

“If you eat too much at once, you’ll get a stomach ache. There are exceptions. It was fortunate that the people who recently came in through the introduction of disabled people were verified. Of course, it’s a little tiring to watch them.”

As he tailed off, the former scholar’s voice became even smaller.

“Watch? What do you mean?”

“I don’t trust the disabled group a hundred percent either. What if they approached Jang intentionally from the beginning, joined the alliance, and brought in a pre-arranged spy in the next order?”

Yeon-chul’s mouth opened wide at this.

Min Wan-ki knew what he had to do before Gyeo-ul spoke. He was a man who knew his own business. The same was true of Yeon-chul, but his area was so different.

There was an old man who couldn’t speak in the same tent, so Jang Yeon-cheol found himself protesting in a low voice.

“They’ve been discriminated against so far. They shouldn’t be discriminated against here.”

“Beware of the underdogma, Mr. Jang. There is no basis for the belief that the weak are necessarily good.”

“I know that much. I’m not a fool. But why would they do that? What’s the advantage of being on the side of a different organization? The Winter Alliance is the best community for disabled people, and our little captain is now an important person for everyone. No one can replace him, and that’s where our alliance is strong.”

Min Wan-ki merely shrugged. “Well, I’m sorry if it felt like I was dismissing you. I was simply trying to prepare just in case.”

Gyeo-ul sided with him.

“I feel the same way about this. I think Manager Min is doing what he needs. If it’s hard to understand, hand it over to me.”

“What, captain…?”

Yeon-chul had a wounded look on his face, but he didn’t say any more.

“Well, then let’s get back to business.

With an awkward cough, Min Wan-ki reversed his order. “The problem is that we don’t have enough people we can trust, which means that management is not keeping up with the scale of growth. I’m sure there are a lot of middle managers who haven’t been verified. It’s too much of a burden to attract gangsters in a field like this.”

Unverified people. The boy recalled the man with warm hands.

It was not that Yeon-chul didn’t know of this problem. The young manager groaned briefly and recalled the contents of Gyeo-ul’s letter.

“If you can’t accept the unknown man, he said you should be the boss of them. If you’re going to be their boss… No, it can’t possibly be done.”

It wasn’t just because of Gyeo-ul’s refusal to be a gangster boss. Yeon-chul scratched his head due to a headache, and his face turned red when some dandruff fell out.

‘I should relieve his embarrassment.’ Knowing the reason, Gyeo-ul asked the question.

“Why not?”

“Uh, well, because you’re too busy. Even regarding the operation of the alliance, you leave almost everything to Min and me, so you would find it difficult to manage it properly. They are already divided into factions. Hwaseunghwa? And Subangbang? If you don’t manage them properly, you’ll get into trouble. Regardless of the circumstances, they are criminals, and the Chinese tend to be like that.”

“That last statement is unexpected. It’s not like Mr. Jang…”

When the boy smiled, Yeon-chul blushed some more. “Anyway, I won’t allow them to defile the little captain’s name. So, no.”

That was the end of the discussion. Jang Yeon-cheol then asked carefully, “What do you want to do? Shall we find out more about their situation?”

“Yes, the two of you, please handle it. We don’t have to make a hasty decision. They’ll wait for us. There are some things to do before that.”

“Like what?”

“I must have told you before. I’m going to get the police to sweep the drug dealers away.”

“Ahh… I remember.”

“I think this is a perfect time. The camp command has been replaced, Lieutenant Colonel Capston was promoted to battalion commander, and the new troops and refugees’ bonds are being shaken.”

‘Whatever decision I make, I will face Li Chinzen once again. It would be better to show off our power before then.’

Gyeo-ul changed the subject. “This is a different matter, but does anyone know Baek San-ho?”

Min Wan-ki raised his hand. “I do. He’s a newly hired manager; is there a problem?”

“I don’t think he’s a good person. If you have a replacement, fire him.”

“…”

Gyeo-ul could not explain why right away. He felt a little vague about the former scholar, though he didn’t see it as a positive or a negative. Min Wan-ki would not keep up a relationship based on a school relationship, hometown, or solicitation. There would be a reasonable purpose and reason. What was it? What was he trying to use such a person for?

Gyeo-ul shook his head after a while.

“He’s not exemplary.”

“I see… then, I can’t help it.”

Min Wan-ki gave up. Without understanding the full context, Jang Yeon-chul gave them alternating looks and blinked.

Min Wan-ki must have intentionally neglected San-ho’s behavior to increase his credibility in the organization’s operations. Gyeo-ul knew that he could not allow such a plan.